One woman's story of service and love found amid the ravages of World War I forms the basis of a new book by a Westlake Village author.

"Pride of America, We're With You" by Shari Lynn Wigle details the life of Grace Anderson from the time she enlisted as a U.S. Army nurse in 1917 to 1925, when she settled with her husband and child in California.

Anderson, who died 41 years ago, was the grandmother of Newbury Park resident Dana Swan.

Her story was almost lost forever when Swan, 57, and his wife, Lynn, 47, decided to clear out the storage space in their home as part of a remodeling project.

A 1918 postage stamp

When Lynn spotted an envelope with a 1918 postage stamp, she rescued a box of letters, photos and postcards from the discard pile. In the documents, she rediscovered Grace Anderson's journey to nurse wounded American soldiers in France and the romance that was to change her life forever.

Lynn Swan showed the mementoes to her aunt, Wigle, a former public relations executive and journalism graduate. At Lynn's urging, Wigle decided to preserve Anderson's story in a book.

"I didn't really realize what it was," Dana Swan said. "I mean, everybody has a box of old family photos and stuff, but I didn't realize it was that important."

Anderson, from Minnesota, was 33 and single when she went off to war in 1917, having trained as a nurse anesthesiologist.

"She wanted to help the war effort," Dana Swan said. "All the boys wanted to go and win the war, and all the girls wanted to go there and help them. She thought it was going to be a big adventure."

Among the memorabilia passed down from Anderson through her daughter, Martha Rose, to grandson Dana Swan is a letter of commendation to the women members of the American Expeditionary Forces signed by Gen. John J. Pershing, the forces' commander in chief.

There's a letter to the "soldiers of the United States" from King George V dated April 1918 from Windsor Castle with the royal emblem at the top of the page.

Images of war

There are also various postcards sent by Grace to her family, including one of the toppled German Kaiser statue in Metz, France, and photos of the war ruins in Rheims and other battlefield locations in France, as well as photos of the field hospitals where she worked.

Wigle said Anderson's letters were subject to censorship and she often left out details for personal reasons, too.

"In her letters home, she was very positive and optimistic," Wigle said. "She didn't want to worry her parents, who were quite elderly at that time."

Wigle set herself the task of researching the historical record in order to fill in the missing details and to reflect the reality of the period.

"The letters were like a springboard," Wigle said. "I admit I knew little about World War I when I started this project.''

Dana Swan was 16 when Anderson died. He remembers his grandmother as a strong woman and recalls, as a young boy, overhearing many conversations about her war service.

"They transported the nurses from England to the Continent in a rickety World War I submarine, and she thought that was pretty exciting," he said.

Swan said Anderson, who at first was stationed at a field hospital about 80 miles from the front line in France, realized early on how horrific the situation was and how ill-prepared the Army was to deal with the injured.

During her service in France, Anderson formed a friendship with an American doctor that later turned to romance.

Anderson spent 18 months in Europe, at hospitals in France and then in Germany, as part of the war effort. She stayed on after the Armistice was declared on Nov. 11, 1918, to nurse wounded American troops until the size of the Third Army was decreased. In June 1919, she embarked on her journey back to the United States, leaving behind the doctor she loved.

"Pride of America, We're With You" is published by Seaboard Press at $12.95 as part of its American Voices Series.

On the Net:

Information about the book is available at http://www.rockpublishing.com.